Identifying Chemical Attractants of Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae)
Start Date
2023 4:00 PM
Location
Alter Hall Poster Session 2 - 2nd floor
Abstract
Click beetles (family Elateridae) occupy a variety of niches. The larvae of most species are saprophagous, while some are predatory, and others feed on the roots of living plants. These click beetle larvae, referred to as wireworms, can damage crop plants, making them serious agricultural pests that are difficult to control and monitor. The ability of adult elaterids to register and respond to chemical signals, including pheromones, can be exploited for management and conservation purposes. Until recently, however, most studies of click beetle pheromones were limited to Eurasia. We tested the effectiveness of seven potential attractants when applied to black panel traps at a site in Clermont Co., Ohio. Our results indicate that one of the compounds, neryl hexanoate (NH), may be an attractant of Glyphonyx ferruginosus (Schaeffer, 1916). Additional work is needed to determine the role of NH in the biology of this species.
Identifying Chemical Attractants of Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae)
Alter Hall Poster Session 2 - 2nd floor
Click beetles (family Elateridae) occupy a variety of niches. The larvae of most species are saprophagous, while some are predatory, and others feed on the roots of living plants. These click beetle larvae, referred to as wireworms, can damage crop plants, making them serious agricultural pests that are difficult to control and monitor. The ability of adult elaterids to register and respond to chemical signals, including pheromones, can be exploited for management and conservation purposes. Until recently, however, most studies of click beetle pheromones were limited to Eurasia. We tested the effectiveness of seven potential attractants when applied to black panel traps at a site in Clermont Co., Ohio. Our results indicate that one of the compounds, neryl hexanoate (NH), may be an attractant of Glyphonyx ferruginosus (Schaeffer, 1916). Additional work is needed to determine the role of NH in the biology of this species.
